


X O and everything in between

by Stylinsontimes



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Fluff, Harry figures it out with Niall's help, Harry is the blushing 17 year old with raging crush, It's basically something to rot your pretty teeth, Louis gives Harry secret hugs and kisses, Louis is the sunkissed boy who saves him from bullies, M/M, Niall is Harry's best friend, he endures so much of fangirling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 17:51:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1657154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stylinsontimes/pseuds/Stylinsontimes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>“Hey Haz, who gave you all the hugs and kisses?” Niall asks surprised.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“um, what?” Harry asks clearly lost.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“All this? The hugs and kisses?” Niall asks waving a hand towards the board’s general area.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I assure I don’t use my soft board for hugs or for kisses at any cost. I am not quite that desperate.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“So you have never really noticed that this is a collection of random Xs and Os?” Niall finally tears his eyes away from it and raises an eyebrow at Harry.</em>
</p>
<p> <br/>Basically Louis finds a special way to express his love for Harry. He gives him hugs and kisses but without his knowledge. Harry is just too love struck to notice that the gorgeous boy loves him as much as he does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	X O and everything in between

**Author's Note:**

> I obviously blame Emblem3 for putting this idea in my brain when I have my finals on. I hope this puts a smile on your face! xx

 

“They are just meanies, Harry. You don’t have to be sad you know.” Harry mumbles to himself while rubbing down the counter top. He is chewing his bottom lip and blinking furiously.

“I find myself fascinated by boys who talk to themselves.” A soft voice calls out and Harry would really like to believe that he looked up calmly and smiled winningly at the tan boy who is currently standing in front of him, when in reality he actually he had squeaked embarrassingly and had almost slipped on the splatter of cream on the floor.

“Louis” Harry breathes with something akin to worship and awe.

You see Harry has a habit of talking to himself in moments of distress and he has been trying for a long time to get rid of it but if Louis says he finds it adorable then he might as well just blush and take the compliment shouldn’t he?

Harry Styles is a bashful boy from a cosy small town with a penchant for blushing, tripping over his own two feet and works in the loveliest bakery in town.

But never in his 17 years of age has he seen a boy so gorgeous and just so immediately lovable that air decides to abandon his lungs. It was inevitable that his heart had leapt out of his chest and presented itself at the foot of one Louis Tomlinson.

“I- I um.” Harry stutters while Louis cocks his head to a side and observes Harry with his cerulean eyes.

“Someone bothering you, Harry?” Louis asks as he places an elbow over the pastry counter and rests his chin on his palm. Louis knew about Harry’s inconvenient habit.

“No um, just some boys came in and upended the pastry tray which was kept here and I-” Harry looks up to meet Louis’ eyes and falters at how concerned and beautiful they looked. They were crystal blue for god’s sake. He had more things to focus on like breathing for example.

“Did you make them pay for them at least?” Louis asks with a frown apparent on his pixie face and Harry’s heart does a spectacular looped the loop.

“No, like they maybe didn’t do it on purpose or something.” Harry mumbles, pulling his sweater sleeves over his hands, making sweater paws and not quite meeting Louis’ eyes.

“Oh babe!” Louis whispers and Harry is glad that his brown haphazard mess of hair covers his eyes and ears because in that moment he can feel, almost _hear_ the blood rush to his cheeks and even though his hormones were trying to get him flustered he sure as hell did not want Louis to know what he did to Harry’s vital organs.

“I- uh, you wanted something Lou?” Harry can’t help but bite his bottom lip as he smiles and peeks at Louis. He had carefully let slip the name just last week after practicing it in front of the mirror for two weeks prior and Louis had beamed at him and blown him a kiss and later in the night Harry had called up Niall and fangirled into the next year and had only stopped when he could hear the Irish lad’s distinctive snores on the phone.  

“I would love that marvellous coffee chocolate ganache muffin of yours. I would take twelve of them!” Louis rubs his hands in delight and laughs merrily. Harry who was currently in a state of breathlessness feels his heart give a wild thump. Honestly his body was in a huge conspiracy against him.

“Craving?” Harry asks simply as he gets a big box from the back and carefully places the muffins in it, he felt a little jealous of them really. Anything that ultimately gets closer to Louis lips than he _ever_ could was a burning issue with Harry.

“It’s for my sisters you know. They got their exam results in today and all of them did really well and I am just treating my princesses is all.” Louis says with a fond smile on his face.

Harry pauses in his work as he feels positively swoony and takes a shaky breath before continuing to pack. Harry knows about Louis’ sisters and he knows for certain that Louis adores them more than his own life but Harry was honest to god trying to get immune to the image of Louis playing with them or tying their ponytails or god forbid letting them play make up with him and so he did not comment.

He _groans_ before any conscious thought and Louis pauses in his work of doodling on the granite and looks up with worry creased between his eyebrows.

“Are you quite certain you are well, Haz? You look breathless.” Louis asks and his voice washes over Harry like champagne. Soft and intoxicating.

“Yea, here you go.” Harry hands over the massive package to Louis who pays and turns to leave but not before giving a flying kiss to a grinning Harry.

Later he notices that Louis had been doodling a ‘O’ on the granite counter with a water marker and had made a smiley face in it. If Harry snapped a picture of it before wiping it down and later proceeded to printing and putting it up on the soft board by his bed, he had no one but his teenage hormones to blame.

 

* * *

 

Harry is humming a tune to himself, minding his own business when a girl snickers loudly. He looks up and can see two girls sitting directly in the front table and laughing at his expense. One of them was whispering something in the other’s ear who is observing Harry with mirth.

In his embarrassment and his drive to hide his face somewhere he did not see Louis walk in and observe what was happening. Harry panicked and pretended to wipe flour off his face with his handkerchief but Louis had seen the flash of hurt in his eyes.

“Curly, what did the girls say?” Louis asks his hands in a tight fist.

“Nothing at all, Lou. How are you?” Harry tried to smile but he could feel the wetness in his eyes and there was no way that Louis hadn’t seen that.

“Tell me.” Louis demands albeit a little gently.

“I was singing.” Harry mumbled and Louis understood what must have happened. He had always been insightful that ways.

Louis walked over to the table where the girls sat and gave them both a distasteful once over.

“Well hello miss too much make up and miss last season clothes. What should I serve you with next or are you quite full of your bullshit already?” Louis said in a sugary sweet voice, dripping with sarcasm and Harry could only open and close his mouth like a goldfish as the girls scampered out of the bakery.

“Thought so!” Louis shrugged as he walked back towards Harry who was currently thanking his lucky stars for bringing Louis and his sass into his life.

“Hazza, do you know about the X Factor Auditions being held?” Louis asks out of the blue tapping a rhythm on the wooden table, his beanie pulled on hurriedly, fringe in disarray.

“Not really no, between the bakery, school and helping my mum I don’t quite find the time.” Harry confesses timidly waiting for the elder boy to laugh at him and his uncool ways but he looks up when Louis doesn’t.

Louis is looking at him tenderly as he plays with the butter paper of the hazelnut muffin in his hands.

It had been a slow day in the bakery before the girls had come in, leaving Harry with enough time to wipe the floor twice and even try the hazelnut muffin recipe. When Louis had sent the obnoxious girls their merry way, he dragged Harry over to sit with him and have tea with him. Later Harry would call Niall and gush about how Louis had held his hand and how soft and utterly endearing they looked plus how Louis had fawned over his new recipe. Harry was possibly living in a sugar scented heaven.

Louis extracts a pamphlet from his pocket and shows it to Harry. “I want you to audition.” Louis says as simply as if asking Harry to pass on the chocolate muffin Harry has chosen for himself.

“Wh-what? I do not sing!” Harry splutters and gasps while Louis looks on amusedly. Harry might have burned his oesophagus.

“I have heard you sing Hazza. You are pretty much audible when you sing in the back somedays.” Louis places his hand over Harry’s to keep them from twitching and Harry sucks in a breath not quite daring to meet Louis’ eyes.

“Here, for motivation.” Louis roughly tears the X from the pamphlet and puts it in Harry’s shirt pocket. “Look at it later and decide if you want this or not”. Louis patted the pocket. (Niall he touched my _chest_!)

“Why don’t you audition too, Lou?” Harry asks looking at the soft boy in front of him who screams of melody, energy and peace. “I think I have heard you once or twice.”

“Why would I want to scare the judges away now, Hazza?” Louis laughs and takes the last of the muffin in his mouth.

As Louis pushes back his chair and steps around the table, Harry can’t help but reach out and fix Louis’ hair and the beanie, giving a satisfied nod. Suddenly his eyes widen as he grasps what had just happened and he steps away and smiles to the floor. Louis might be older than him but he is a head shorter too and it makes Harry so much more enamoured. At this point he’d even find 10 extra toes quite charming on the sunkissed boy.

“Just think of the X Harry.” Louis whispers and trails his thumb over the younger boy’s cheek before stepping out of the bakery.

Harry just nods mesmerised. He thinks of the X and the gorgeous angel his bakery has the honour to host lately. Later Gemma finds the torn red X tacked on Harry’s board but doesn’t say a word.

* * *

 

“Harold sweetheart!” Louis grins as he bursts in through the bakery door. Harry feels himself brighten instantly. Niall is right sometimes, he might be too far gone. But it can’t be his fault that it’s like the bakery finds a life when Louis walks in, the surfaces seem shinier, they gleam. The cakes seem fuller and prettier and the aroma seems to speak something of love and Louis. Harry grins and Louis pokes at the dimple that appears on his cheek. His gloves are maroon with little bunnies printed on them and he recalls a picture of Louis he had seen on Facebook once.

 

“Oh my dear dimples how I missed you today.” Louis smiles at Harry who ducks his head and giggles.

“Happy beautiful birthday! Your cake is ready!” Harry feels stupidly proud of this one small cake because it was Louis’ birthday cake and Harry had taken special care in making it. Even though it is Christmas Eve but Louis had been adamant about no winter décor on the cake so Harry had detailed it with marzipan forget-me-nots and had put a blue baby toy in the smack middle to poke fun Louis’ aversion to aging.

_‘I don’t want to get old Hazza! Don’t don’t DON’T!’_ Louis had screamed petulantly and Harry had fought with his body to stay still and not kiss the pout off. He had detailed the cake with filigree carvings and wrapped a shimmering blue ribbon as the finishing.

“Here you go, Boo!”

“Just because you know my nickname now does not mean you can use it anytime you want!” Louis makes an affronted face and looks around in mock horror to check if anyone had heard.

“Oh I am so sorry Louis. I did not mean to do that.” Harry deflates because the last thing he wants is to make Louis uncomfortable and that too on his very own _birthday_. He looks down in shame as he shuffles his feet.

Suddenly Louis’ fringe appears in his peripheral vision. “You can call me that, Haz. You are special.”

Harry gasps slightly when he looks up and stills because Louis is leaning towards him, whispering over the counter.

“You don’t mind?” Harry asks uncertainly, afraid to break the moment.

“Never ever with you.” Louis whispers and Harry can feel heat rise in his cheeks and is half relieved and half heart broken when Louis steps back.

“Show me my cake, curly!” Louis grins and Harry sighs at how blue and happy his eyes look right now. It is with great difficulty that he looks away from his object of desire and his feathery fringe falling over his forehead.

“You said I could do any decoration apart from the obvious ones so I put the toy and the um- forget-me-nots.” Harry mumbles the last part feeling self conscious.

“You don’t need to remind me, Haz.” Louis smiles genuinely and Harry barrels on before he loses all of his courage.

“I also put on XIX for your 19th birthday because I know you do not like candles but it’s your birthday Lou. You need candles.”

Harry hops he didn’t sound as earnest as he feels because he doesn’t want to push Louis into liking something but they were _candles_ and everybody needs candles don’t they?  

“I love it.” Louis says and Harry is surprised that he looks shy and bites his lovely thin lips.

“But- I want you to have this.” Louis picks up an ‘X’ from the cake and hands it over to Harry so that only the XI remained on the cake.

“It’s just 11 now, Lou.” Harry says confused.

“The best age my lovely Hazza.” Louis smirks and the next moment Louis is holding his hand and pulling him along with the cake to the table in a far off corner.

Harry goes along shocked but also two hundred percent willingly.

“Um?” Harry asks eloquently.

“This cake is for you and me to cut, Haz. I wanted to celebrate my birthday with you.” Louis says with a shrug like it’s no big deal and it is something Harry should be used to be by now but maybe Harry had missed the memo because he was openly gaping at Louis, his green eyes wide with disbelief.

“Oh god, a hornet would get in your mouth Hazza.” Louis rolls his eyes fondly as Harry audibly clamps his mouth shut.

“With me?” Harry asks still not able to wrap his head around the fact that Louis would want to celebrate his special day with him.

“Who else babycakes? Shush now, let the birthday boy blow the candles.” Harry was pleased that Louis liked them.

Two days later Harry finds the ‘X’ candle from Louis in the shirt pocket and it was only fair that he hung it from the board.

* * *

 

Harry smiles as he wakes up and his eyes fall on the piece of paper tacked on his board, it had the alphabet O drawn out near perfectly with devil horns and tail added.

He grins and thinks of the day before.  
“Haz, can you draw a perfect circle without using a compass or a ring?” Louis had asked.

“Noooo.. My hand eye coordination is probably even worse than my over all coordination.” Harry had replied with a twinge of sadness.

“Leme show you. Here hold the pen.” For the next ten seconds blood had proceeded to pool in Harry’s cheek and his heart had picked up a congo beat because Louis’ adorable tiny hands were on _his_! And he was guiding his comparably gigantic hands in making that perfect circle, however irrelevant that was in the grand scheme of life.

Later Louis had made the horn and the tail to dedicate it to Dan Brown. “But the O is the halo and the horns are the devil. It’s ‘Angels and Demons’ Hazza!” Louis had jumped all over the place in glee like it was actually ingenious and Harry had laughed and cheered along, genuinely believing so.

* * *

 

Harry is sitting on his living room couch when his phone signals a new message. His hands sought the phone as his eyes are glued to the television screen. He slides open the lock and finally looks down to find the name on the screen

**_Lou :D_ ** **_  
_**

It’s with lightening speed that he gets up from the couch, the popcorn tub fallen on the carpet. His only saving grace is that nobody is home to hear his girly squeal.

He races to his room and giggles through his laboured breathing. He stands with his back to door still quite surprised that Louis has actually messaged him.  
  
It was the day before when Louis had asked for his number and it was a date now circled in Harry’s calendar.

“You know Haz, I have known for so long now and it breaks my heart that I don’t even have the honour of having your number.” Louis had pouted.

Harry had gotten a paper cut in his hurry to get a sheet of paper and his hands shook as he noted down his number, his hands sweaty. He handed it over to Louis his hands still shaking.

“I was just about to offer you my cellphone, love.” Louis said softly as he looked at the younger lad carefully. Harry just wanted to cry really because

a)     He had just made a complete fool of himself

b)     Louis just called him ‘love’. _Love_. Ell o vee ee. It was clearly too much for a 17 year old with a weak heart to handle.

Before Harry could even justify himself or maybe make more of a fool of himself, Louis had interrupted him.

“It’s perfect though. I get to keep you handwriting now.” Louis had blushed prettily and Harry had felt a little faint.

**_L: Hey, sweetcheeks! What are you upto?_ **

Harry breathed deeply through his nose.  
  
 _ **H: Was watching Titanic and crying. A lot. Lot Lot.**_

_**L: Oh baby! Join me where I am then! I am where dreams come true!** _

_**H: Disneyland?? :P** _

_**L: Way to break a man’s heart, H. I am where my sister’ dream come true. A huge fucking park. But my dream is Disney!** **L** _

_**H: hehe, I will take you there someday.** _

Harry sucks in a deep breath as he hits send and chews on his thumbnail in anxiety. He has just casually, very extremely very casually told Louis that he wants to take Louis to Disneyland and even stick around long enough for that.  He feels daring today.

**_L: You taking me anywhere would be a dream come true._ **

Harry simply chucks the phone in the air and plops down on the bed face down, he takes the nearest pillow and screams into it for a solid one minute. Louis just said yes. Right now Harry’s dreams were coming true in his fucking bedroom.

**_H: But where are you?_ **

****_L: I am in this giant park with my sisters and we are playing a game where we recognise alphabets in the things around us!!!!_  
  
H: Oh, that sounds cool yeah! What all did you find then? 

And Harry doesn’t even notice that maximum of the alphabets Louis sent him are Xs and Os. Not even when he prints them out and puts them up on the board.

* * *

 

A lot of printed pictures, plastic hoops and toothpick crosses making Xs late Louis calls him over.

“Hey Hazza. What are you doing today?”

“Nothing really. Mum and Gem are out for some charity project and I had to stay back for some work.”

“Oh so then you are busy?” Louis sounds sad and Harry’s heart rate picks up.

“I am never busy for you, Lou.” Harry smiles to the floor because he is insanely happy that they proceeded to place in their relationship where he can blatantly express what he is feeling.

“Do you want to come over to my place then? We can watch any movie you want. We can bake too later!”

“Hazza?” Louis sounds confused because it has been ten full seconds since Harry has fallen silent. In reality he is hyperventilating with the skin of his knuckle pulled in by his teeth.

“I know  you want me for the baking skills.” Harry says and Louis laughs loudly.

“I assure you Haz, I want you for many other reasons too.” Louis says and Harry blushes.

“Oh yes, I’ll be there Lou. Absolutely. Okay bye then!” Harry presses end and continued to have a little freak out with his face in his palms. The phone rings again.

“I do think you’d need my address, love.” Louis laughs and Harry just wants to die really. Was it too much to ask?

 

**_Nialler. I need you asap. Home._** That was the best SOS he could frame for Niall in his current state of duress and he throws himself bodily on the pile of discarded clothes.

Niall arrived about fifteen minutes later with a huge hot dog in his hand.

“I am in literal pain here and you decide to turn up with that?” Harry asks gesturing towards the hot dog accusingly.

“Stop it you melodramatic cunt. Wassit?” Niall asks looking around at the mess of Harry’s room.  

“Louis invited me over and I need clothes selected.” Harry says looking mournfully at his clothes or lack thereof.

“For a date like?” Niall sits up straight his baby blue eyes filled with hope.

“No, like a hangout at his place.”

“Watch a movie?” Niall asks walking towards Harry’s cupboard.

“Um, yeah.”

“Oh it’s such a date.” Niall snickers as Harry blushes.

“Go nude?”

“Fuck you.”

“You wish it bitch.”

“Yeah, I do.” Harry sighs wistfully.

 

After an hour of sifting through all the options and rejecting almost all of it Harry is finally dressed in his skinniest black jeans and favourite red plaid shirt.

“How do I look?” Harry asks pulling his bottom lip with his thumb and index finger.

“You look fuckable my fuckable little boy.” Niall says after a critical once over and pulls Harry into a hug. “You’ll be just fine Hazza.” Harry’s heart rate normalises a little on his best friend’s reassurance and Niall laughs when he feels that too and that is when he notices the board.

“Hey Haz, who gave you all the hugs and kisses?” Niall asks surprised.

“um, what?” Harry asks clearly lost.

“All this? The hugs and kisses?” Niall asks waving a hand towards the board’s general area.

“I assure I don’t use my soft board for hugs or for kisses at any cost. I am not quite _that_ desperate.”

“So you have never really noticed that this is a collection of random Xs and Os?” Niall finally tears his eyes away from it and raises an eyebrow at Harry.

Harry on his part looks as if he has just discovered that it was infact the Sun which revolved around the Earth and the Moon actually to napped in the mornings.

“Wh-WHAT?” Harry rushes towards the board, his eyes wild and he observes each and every scrap of paper, photograph and things in tiny zip pouches. They are indeed all Xs and Os and Harry feels woozy.

“All of these are from Lou but what does it mean?” Harry asks Niall his green eyes reflecting his shock and dilemma.

“Might mean he really likes your sorry ass and by the looks of this board, has been for a long time.” Niall says with a smile.

“What do I _do_ now?” Harry asks clutching his hair. He feels inadequate and happy and scared and **_happy_**.

“You will return the gesture, Harry. Give him hugs and kisses but in real if you ask my preference.” Niall sits beside Harry and carefully removes Harry’s hands from his hair.

“Look at me you. You are the loveliest fucking person I have ever met and Louis likes you so that means he understands that too.” Niall says softly and wipes at the corner of Harry’s eyes.

“So I should meet him?”

“Go get him you fucker.” Niall pulls Harry into a tight hug and kisses the top of his head.

Harry is a block away from Louis’ when he hears the loud ruckus from the other side and before he can even react, he is face to face with two bullies from his school.

“Hey, where you going twink?” One of them, Jackson smirks.

“Yeah, got some pretty boy to fuck?” The other, Leo laughs and high fives Jackson.

They weren’t the biggest guys as they were not even fully Harry’s height nor were they the brightest peas in the pod judging by their grades but their words were always sharp enough to cut through poor Harry.

“No I just- I”

“Are you trying to talk back, you little piece of shit?” Jackson growls and advances towards Harry.

“Well, you did ask a question.” Harry retorts softly, looking around to find a way to escape this situation.

“You will not open you stupid mouth you asshole!” Leo screams at Harry before raising his fist. Harry makes a high noise and scrunches his eyes close waiting for the blow to come but after about 3 seconds when none came, he squints one eye open shakily to see what stopped him but he is met with a scene that makes his eyes fly open.

Louis stood in between the boys and Harry, Leo’s arms twisted behind his back in a painful way. While Leo seems to be in pain while Jackson looked downright scared.

“Were you trying to touch Harry?” Louis asks Leo his voice low and dangerous.

“N-no.” Leo gasps out and Louis lets him go after a second.

“Was he trying to, Hazza?” Louis asks Harry now, his voice soft and lovely and for a moment Harry finds himself lost in Louis’ eyes, which are protective and ferocious and at the same time so loving.

“It’s fine now, Lou.” Harry mumbles out softly, holding his elbow gently.

Louis looks like he wants to argue but he smiles instead. He looks back at Jackson and then at Leo. “You boys work part time in the ‘Calder’ hardware shop don’t you?” Louis asks looking at their faces carefully.

“Yes” Leo looks disturbed enough to almost add a sir after that.

“Let me tell you both a secret.” Louis smirks and leans in to whisper something in the boys’ ears upon which both of them go beet red and look at each other in horror.

“So either you guys will stop your vile ways or I shall have that personally looked upon, or by many people at once.” Louis winks at them which cause to further increase their discomfort. 

“Come one Hazza.” Louis holds Harry hands and makes his way around the boys.

“What did you tell them, Lou?” Harry asks wonder struck.

“Just that the hardware store is owned by my best friend El’s family and they have recently installed CCTVs and they had recorded some uh- sexy activities happening in when no one was around.” Louis is grinning while Harry’s head spins.

“They got over girls to the shop?” Harry asks.

“Oh lovely, Haz. Maybe they don’t need girls at all.” Louis winks but leaves it at that and laughs when Harry still looks confused. Harry’s tension eases as he notes that Louis still hasn’t left his hand and he is wearing the shirt that Harry had once said, looked incredible on him.

It wasn’t obscenely fitted but it did a great job of accentuating his biceps and the dip of his back. He wore chinos under that and Harry had to quickly look away from the stretch on his thighs and bums.

Louis’ mum and the girls aren’t home when they reach and Harry has the time of his life looking at baby Louis photographs. He can’t help but coo at the blue eyed angel and Louis looks on adorably.

As they sit down on the sofa with popcorn and cola and are just about to get comfy when there is a loud bang on the door and it flies open to what looks like a very angry Lottie and an equally angry Jay Tomlinson.

Harry stands up in a hurry and does not notice Louis curse slightly.

“Why is it so damn to understand, Lottie! It won’t happen!” Jay says her voice clearly showing her displeasure.

“But he is my dad! What is so wrong if he wants to come over?” Lottie screams. 

“He is just your biological dad Lottie, what has he done to even deserve being called a dad?” Jay seems to be losing her composure and almost throws her purse on the table and that is when she notices an alarmed Harry standing awkwardly and gasps in surprise.

“Oh dear, Lou you have a guest!” She slaps a hand over the mouth, clearly mortified at what Harry has had to witness.

“He is Harry, mum. You are home early.” Louis sounds surly and Harry seems to snap out of his trance.

“It’s no matter Mrs. Tomlinson. I was just leaving anyways you know.” Harry says hurriedly and looks at Louis worried for the boy.

“Call me Jay, love and I am so sorry. I wish this was a better time.” Jay says sadly, she had clearly noticed the untouched glasses and the tub full of popcorn and she seemed to be tearing apart at the seams.

“Mum, I and Harry are heading to the brook now. We’ll be back soon.”

Louis takes Harry’s hand for the second time that day and resolutely leads him out of the door. They walk in silence until they hear the gush of the pristine water and Harry sits down under a tree in the open green field.

He motions Louis to sit in between his legs, with his back to Harry’s chest.

Louis takes Harry’s hands and wraps them around his waist, “I am sorry you had to see that Harry. I didn't know they would be back so soon.” Harry’s hold tightens when he hears Louis’ voice break.

Harry ducks and places his nose on the juncture of Louis neck and shoulder.

“It is alright, Lou. I have faced these things myself. I am always there with you.” Harry whispers and the cold breeze raise their hair and tickle their ears. The birds look down upon the two boys sharing secrets and the air smells of love.

“Harry, were you scared of the two boys?” Louis asks almost in a whisper, lost in the air. He is tracing patterns on the back of Harry’s hand, his eyes shielded by his fringe.

“I was, but then you came along and I wasn’t anymore.” Harry says truthfully his cheek pressed against the side of Louis’ forehead and lips ghosting over his ears.

An hour ago Harry would have deemed this situation impossible because in what world can Harry even speak properly in front of Louis let alone confess his love for him but having seen Louis vulnerable and sad had flipped something inside of Harry and he just wanted to hold this golden boy with soft voice together and hear his tinkling laugh until the said boy would let him, preferably a forever.

Louis shivers and snuggles closer to Harry’s body heat. Harry would like to believe it is not purely because of the cold but maybe because he feels safe in Harry’s arms.

“You know, Lou. Niall pointed out something to me today. Something I have apparently been too dense to notice.” Harry says.

“That is?” Louis asks with his eyes close. Head on Harry’s chest and forehead turned towards Harry’s neck.

“About the Xs and Os?” Harry is smiling and he can see the faint smile tugging at the corner of Louis’ lips. He keeps his eyes closed.

“Took you long enough, Harold.” Louis is grinning now and opens his perfect blue eyes to look at his perfect little boy.

“So I was thinking that you have given me a hug or a kiss whenever I was sad and I didn’t even realise but now that you are sad, can I return the favour?”

Harry asks suddenly his nervousness making a comeback. All his dreams might come true today or he may lose the very best friend he has ever made in life. He felt prepared for neither.

Louis sits back properly and turns to face Harry, “You mean it?”

Harry remembers something and digs into his pocket to bring out a baby blue bracelet and puts it on Louis’ dainty wrist. “That would be my O” Harry says teasingly winking at Louis.

Louis rolls his eyes fondly before launching himself at Harry and enveloping him in a tight hug so that Harry has to go on his knees just like Louis to hold the curvy boy fully in his arms, pressed from head to toe. When they separate, Louis keeps his arms hooked on Harry’s neck.

Harry’s gaze sticks to Louis’ lovely lips and he licks his own subconsciously. He looks up at Louis’ eyes who nods softly.

Harry sucks in a breath before placing his hands on the soft dip of Louis’ back and pulls him flush against him. Harry noses along Louis’ jaw and kissed on his eyelids before finally claiming his lips. He doesn’t kiss Louis desperately but like he needs him like a breath of air, Harry had been waiting for forever. It was deep but it wasn’t drowning them, somehow it was lifting them above everything else.

They weren’t marking new territories but claiming what was already theirs. Their lips melded against each other in a soft dance of joy and coming to home and Louis bit Harry’s plum lip to put a lock on it. Harry kisses Louis like coming to home and breathes in his scent. Louis kissed back with a passion that spoke of his possessiveness and melting troubles. His kiss thanked Harry for existing while Harry kissed to show his awe.

When they separated just enough to breathe, Louis notices something in Harry’s hand. It is a plastic X.                                                                             

“This is from my favourite alphabet set ever and I want you to have it because you are my favourite ever boy too.” Harry says blushing but not breaking eye contact.

Louis looks unable to say anything so just holds onto Harry’s hand and kisses his palm, fingers and knuckles.

“Hey Lou? Did you see the bracelet carefully?” Harry asks his voice shaky. His emotions giving him a whiplash.

They might have kissed but that does not mean that Louis would want to be his

“Boyfriend?” Louis inhales sharply as he gapes at the bracelet which read ‘boyfriend’ and Harry had put a question mark at the end with a sketch pen.

“Yeah, if you like. I mean no pressure and stuff. I was just-” Harry is rambling while Louis looks on with his mouth open. He surges forward and pecks on Harry’s lips to stop him from speaking and sit’s back down again to furiously rub over bracelet. Harry looks on inquisitively.

“Tada!” Louis grins widely as he raised his wrist. Harry saw he had rubbed out the question mark and it read a simple yet an all consuming, ‘Boyfriend.’

“I promise you, Lou. Anytime you need me I’ll be there with my Xs and Os and I would never let you down.” Harry whispered.

“And I young Harold will love you with the Xs Os and everything in between and will be with you and give it all for you.”

“Now you are just totally quoting the song.”

“Shut up you.”

“I was thinking to sing it in the auditions actually.”

And if they kiss for some more time, surely they have no one but each other to blame.

**Author's Note:**

> If you comment and tell me how it is I will come to you, give you a polo and doodle an X on your palm. 
> 
> Say hello at my [ _Tumblr_ ](http://hazzalouisstylinson.tumblr.com/)


End file.
